The burgeoning era of digital decision-making and outcome measurement could transform the way that farmers manage their land. More than a third of the land in the United States is agricultural, and farmers have always relied on data to guide their decisions. For example, The Old Farmer’s Almanac is the oldest continuously published periodical in […]

OpenPlant, an open source initiative1 , recently granted £12 million ($20 million) to the University of Cambridge and the John Innes Centre to develop a DNA registry for synthetic biology research focused on plants. OpenPlant treats plant genes and molecular pathways like circuits that can be arranged in various combinations to create entirely new species. […]

Over the past few years, investors have been concerned about the outlook for the Indian and Chinese economies. The agricultural sector, however, would suggest that productivity gains could contribute significantly to their health and wealth. Technology and automation has powered efficiencies in the agricultural sector for centuries. The cotton gin, the plow, and the tractor […]

As Africa moves through a structural transformation driven by agricultural innovation, several companies are capitalizing on the shift. Technology upgrades will allow African farmers to farm more land in less time, helping to feed the continent’s booming population. Improved yields, labor productivity, and economies of scale will reshape the African continent. Sub-Saharan Africa has considerable […]

Thanks to advancements in farming technology and data collection, farmers are planting faster and more efficiently than ever before. In 2013, farmers planted 41 million acres of corn in one week, or 43% of the annual US harvest. By comparison, in 1983 they planted a mere 16 million acres, roughly a quarter of total domestic harvest.1 […]

Can you believe that in 2014, $160 billion worth of corn will be grown on land that theoretically could produce $560 billion? By producing and delivering seeds precisely designed for the square meter of earth in which they will be grown genetic engineering will narrow this gap. As illustrated below, global corn yields are roughly half of what they are in the US alone, and US yields are a bit less than half of what is theoretically possible today.

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All original research is vetted through ARK’s research ecosystem and by its Director of Research. Every published article is reviewed by ARK’s CEO/CIO Catherine D. Wood.